Prospect of live music on a summer’s night warms the soul

As the nights draw in and the weather takes a nippy turn, we should be sure to enjoy another treat denied us last year: the prospect of looking forward to concerts and events over long, summer evenings.

Last year, the uncertainties of Covid meant such long-term planning would look hopelessly optimistic. Gig-goers were still sitting on their to-be-rearranged tickets for concerts that should have taken place months earlier. Few of us were certain when mass events would be possible.

Then came the modern-day wonder of vaccination and - alongside a universe of other, more important outcomes - the prospect of the simple pleasure of hearing music again in an audience, or even a crowd.

Greater confidence has led to a welter of announcements. Some familiar faces are heading to Scotland next summer: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will headline a brand-new festival next year, The Dundee Summer Sessions, playing on the city's waterfront in June.

And if the former Oasis guitarist's band is a little too contemporary for you, perhaps Simply Red or their 1980s contemporaries Simple Minds will appeal, at the Princes Street Gardens Sessions in August.

We expect the Glastonbury Festival to reappear in late June after a two-year hiatus. And, far from the Somerset mud, we hope for a full programme from the Edinburgh International Festival, celebrating its 75th anniversary.

For music lovers, it could prove to be a special summer. For all of us, the prospect of our outdoor cultural life springing back into life after a dark two years will be a sight - and sound - to relish.

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